information about early self-detection and prevention of mela- noma on a user-friendly website; and conducting talks and facial skin analyzer screenings for area organizations and businesses. Mintz Levin has provided pro bono legal services to MEF since its inception in 2000, including assistance by Laurence Schoen. During the past year, Carol Peters worked with MEF to obtain trademark protection for SkinCheck® , the mark that MEF uses for its educational literature and materials. It is tremendously rewarding to provide assistance to an organization that truly makes a difference in saving the lives of young people by educating them about how to detect this disease before it is too late. The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty One of NewYork’s largest human services agencies,The Metro- politan Council on Jewish Poverty, provides 100,000 NewYorkers with critical services in their fight against poverty each year. For 36 years, the Met Council has been a defender and advocate for New Yorkers in need, and has raised awareness around the growing problem of Jewish poverty.With services ranging from domestic violence counseling to kosher food pantries to career training, Met Council helps individuals find immediate relief and lasting solutions. Jeffrey Moerdler has represented the Met Council on many issues over the years. Andrew Roth, Nili Yolin, and Jeffrey repre- sented the Council in negotiating a management agreement with an assisted living facility manager, and Jeffrey continues to advise on related issues, with assistance from Ron Nelson and legal specialist Courtney Krupinsky. In addition, Jeffrey handled the acquisition of the assisted living facility property from the City of New York, and advised on the closing of a pre-development loan for a project with Berkshire Bank. Legal specialist Donna Bergamo is assisting with the closing on another pre-develop- ment loan for the site with the NewYork City Investment Fund, on track to close this summer. National Forum on Information Literacy The National Forum on Information Literacy was established in 1989. It was created to support individuals, non-profit organi- zations, businesses, and government agencies in utilizing the empowering influence of information literacy as the 21st-century springboard for personal enrichment, social/economic growth and development, and civic engagement at the local, state, national, and international levels. As a result of its collaborative efforts with its national and international constituencies through- out the years, the Forum is considered the premier source of authoritative, timely, comprehensive, easily accessible, and efficiently indexed information on information literacy. One of the Forum’s principal goals is to develop professional training opportunities. Using a community-based participatory research approach across a broad spectrum of occupations and professions, the Forum will prepare a new cadre of community leaders to become skilled practitioners of information literacy policy and practices within their communities. Mintz Levin attorneys Anthony Hubbard and Wendy Silverman and legal specialist Kathleen Ellison assisted the Forum in these and other efforts, establishing the Forum as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, allowing it to more comprehensively and effectively provide its services to the community. Mintz Levin attorneys continue to assist the Forum in a variety of ways, and were thrilled when, in 2009, President Obama proclaimed October National Information Literacy Awareness Month. President Obama declared that Americans should use the month to dedicate themselves to increasing information literacy awareness for all citizens and understanding its vital importance, and noted that an informed and educated citizenry is essential to the functioning of our modern democratic society, the very message the National Forum was created to support.  Our Partners in Change